Today's Challenges

Photovoltaics (PV) is one of the most promising renewable energy technologies for Europe. In fact, PV is now, after hydro and wind power, the third most important renewable energy source in terms of global installed capacity. PV can significantly contribute to the achieving the EU's 20-20-20 climate change objectives, as well as to the longer term goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95%, as targeted in the European Energy Roadmap 2050. In that purpose, the European Commission has challenged the PV industry to set new, ambitious targets for 2020 as part of the Commission’s Strategic Energy Technology (SET) – Plan.

The SET-Plan was set up to design and implement an energy technology policy for Europe to accelerate the development and deployment of cost-effective low carbon energy systems, including PV. To realize this, it is of critical importance that all the European actors combine their efforts:

To develop high level technology and foster manufacturing possibilities

To overcome the existing fragmentation of PV R&D in Europe and to intensify the collaboration between R&D providers and industry to accelerate the industrialization of innovations

For this purpose the Solar Europe Industrial Initiative (SEII) and the European Energy Research Alliance Photovoltaics Joint Research Programme (EERA-PV) were launched in 2010.

The CHEETAH project is directly linked to the EERA-PV Joint Research Program, which aims to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of PV R&D through alignment and joint programming of R&D of its member institutes, and to contribute to the R&D-needs of the Solar Europe Industry Initiative.

All EERA-PV members and associates are represented in CHEETAH, with a commitment to::

focus on solving specific R&D issues in the EERA-PV Joint Program

reinforce the collaboration through sharing of knowledge, personnel and facilities

accelerate the implementation of developed technologies in the European PV industry